I'll Protect You
by dizzy-dreamer-98
Summary: Matilda Larken is starting her third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. As lies are told, rumors are spread, & secrets are uncovered, Matilda finds herself becoming someone she least expected. But whovever said the life of a thirteen-year-old witch would be easy, especially when you're best friends are Fred & George Weasley? Rated for language


*DISCLAIMER: I do not own any content in this story beside Matilda & her parents. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling. Please do not steal my characters or any other content affiliated with my story.

Thirteen-year-old Matilda Larken was very grateful towards her two best friends, Fred and George Weasley; they protected her, made her laugh and, most importantly, were the first students at Hogwarts to befriend her when she'd arrived at Platform 9 and 3/4 two years ago with her parents. Steven and Angelica Larken, both very intelligent and attractive purebloods, had known Molly and Arthur Weasley for a while-longer than Matilda could remember. Both couples were alumni of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were members of the Order of the Phoenix. Matilda had met Molly and Arthur before, and she'd grown to consider them as second parents of the sort. Matilda concluded that that was because they were genuinely kind and hospitable people. She also knew that they had many children, but she had only met the two eldest, Bill and Charlie. Those two were always kind to her, and had both babysat her on occasion. Throughout her childhood, Matilda grew to consider them as older brothers. She had no siblings of her own, for her parents' efforts in having more children were futile. Of course, that's not to say they were unhappy with just one amazing child, they just didn't want her to grow up to be lonely. Steven was an auror, so he was gone quite often.

Angelica, however, was a stay-at-home mother who'd homeschooled Matilda in preparation for Hogwarts. Not only teaching her about the wizarding world, Angelica taught her daughter all about the muggle world. Because of this, Matilda grew up to be respectful towards muggles and never thought of them badly. She also loved telling Mr. Weasley all about the muggles. Whenever Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would come over for tea, he would sit her on his lap and she would talk animatedly about all of the different muggle invetions her mother would tell her about. And Mr. Weasley, being curious and also slightly amused at the girl's enthusiasm, would listen intently.

With the arrival of September first, 1990 came eleven-year-old Matilda's anxiety. She'd never gotten along with children her age, being homeschooled and "different" than others. Many negative thoughts and "what if"'s crossed through her mind, making her knees weak and her stomach twist into knots as she stepped into the bathroom that morning. After bathing, dressing in a plain pair of jeans, a purple tank top, and her old pair of Converse, and pinning her long brown hair back, Matilda gazed at herself through her mirror. She never considered herself exceptionally beautiful; she only told herself she wasn't hideous in order not to insult her parents. The only part of herself that Matilda found remotely nice was her deep purple eyes. She didn't know how she required them, since both Steven and Angelica had chocolate brown eyes. She guessed that one of her many ancestors had had them and left it at that.

As she surveyed herself in the mirror, she heard her mother call her name from the kitchen on the first floor. Matilda flicked off the lights and shut the door to the bathroom before slowly walking down the stairs. When she arrived at the kitchen, she saw both of her parents dancing to an old song on the radio resting on the counter top. She made no move to interupt them; she just smiled and let them have their fun. They were the most beautiful couple Matilda'd ever seen-Mr. and Mrs. Weasley coming in at a very close second. They were both very beautiful people, and were at the top of their class during school. Matilda wondered how she fit into this family, but didn't get to dwell on the thought too long because her mother noticed her in the doorway. Neither adults were embarrassed-why should they be? They were happy and in love for Merlin's sake. Showing affection nothing to be embarrassed about. Kissing in public, Matilda thought, was going a little over the line. She shivered at the thought and quickly sat at the kitchen table. "Good morning, sweetheart," her father greeted as Angelica set a plate of eggs and toast in front of them. "Are you excited?" He asked with a big grin on his face. Matilda immediately felt sick to her stomach and pushed her plate away, causing her parents to frown. Angelica placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Everything will be fine, love. You'll do great in all of your classes, and you'll have Fred and George." Matilda almost forgot about the two Weasley twins. She had never met them, but when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived at the Larken household for tea, they promised that their two sons would take care of her. This relieved Matilda a little, but not much. The twins were a year ahead of her, and in Gryffidor. Both of her parents were Ravenclaws, but they assured their daughter that whatever how she was placed in she would succeed. She had never met the two, though, and hoped that they were as kind as their parents claimed them to be. Both Bill and Charlie told her stories of how they were quite mischievous and pulled pranks often. This didn't sit well with the young girl.

She nodded to her parents, and they sighed in relief. "Did you double check that you had everything you needed? You robes, books, wand, your owl? Don't forget your favorite sweater, I know you can't live without it." There she goes again, Matilda thought of her mother, being a worry wart. She was grateful for the reminder, though. She'd almost forgotten to retrieve her favorite gray sweater from her closet. Matilda's grandmother, Angelica's mother, had given her this sweater before she passed away, and Matilda never traveled without it. It was sort of like a comfort tool. "I'll go grab that now; thanks for reminding me." Matilda replyed before hopping out of her seat at the table and hurrying up to her bedroom. The bed was perfectly made, there were no clothes littering the floor, and her desk and shelves were organized due to the girl's slight O.C.D. It looked quite empty, she thought honestly. She was taking most of her clothes and her favorite books with her to Hogwarts, so there wasn't much to leave behind.

Matilda quickly walked over to her closet and grabbed her favorite article of clothing. Even though it was 74 degrees outside-slightly warm for England weather- she realized she needed the sense of comfort and slipped it on. She sighed, feeling much better than when she first woke up. She looked at the clock on her beside table to see that it was already ten o'clock. They would have to leave now in order to make it to the station on time. Matilda ran down the stairs, skipping every other step, and saw that both of her parents were ready to leave. Her father had her trunk in his hand whilst her mother had her small carry on bag containing her robes to change into, a book, and her wand. "You ready. Tilly?" Steven asked, using Matilda's old nickname in hopes of comforting her. Matilda smiled slightly and nodded. Her mother placed an hand on Matilda's shoulder as the stepped outside. Steven placed the trunk into the back of the car as Matilda and Angelica got in and buckled their seatbelts. As her father sat in the front, Matilda felt the butterflies in her stomach return once more. She looked out of the car window at the blurred trees and houses that passed. Would she be make friends? Get good grades? Make her parents proud? These thoughts and those similar crossed her mind, and before she realised that they'd arrived at King's Cross Train Station. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slowly stepped out of the car.

Steven quickly ran to get a cart for Matilda's trunk and her owl, Cherry, whom Matilda named because of her brown almost red feathers. Angelica wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder as they walked towards the wall which leads to the platform. They waited for Steven to return, then discreetly checked to see if anyone was watching. When the coast was clear, they hurridly ran through the wall and entered platform 9 and 3/4. Matilda was in awe; the train was magnificent, and there were so many people. Steven and Angelica smiled at their daughter's expression, feeling a sense of nostalgia. Matilda was shakn out of her stupor when she was crushed into a hug by none other than Molly Weasley. She hugged back tightly before Molly held her at arms length to give her a once over. "Oh, look at you!" the woman exclaimed. "You've grown so much in the past year; you've become sch a beautiful young lady! Pretty soon you'll have boys bowing at your feet," Molly complimented. "Just like your mother." she added with a sly wink. Matilda felt her cheecks flush in embarassment, and bowed her head to look at her worn out shoes as she heard the adults chuckle. A sound of surprise escaped her lips as she as lifted off of the heard a deep laugh, and knew who it was immediately. "Bill!" Matilda exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Matilda's worries completely disappeared as she clung to the eldest Weasley son. "I'm here to see you off, of course! What kind of best friend would I be if I let you go to Hogwarts without saying goodbye, hm?" Bill set the young girl down as two identical boys walked up to them. "Ah, there you two are! What did I say about running off?" Molly scolded the two. "Sorry, mum." they replyed simultaneously. The plumpwoman smiled. "Well, I'd like to introduce you boys to Matilda Larken, the young girl I was telling you about? It's her first year, and I'd like you to keep her safe." Matilda hid slightly behind her father as the two boys turned their attention towards her. They both gave her genuine, kind smiles. "Hello," they said together. Matilda guessed that they did that often. "I'm Fred-" "and I'm George. It's your first year, eh?" "Well, don't you worry. Just stick with us-" "an everything will run smoothly." Matilda giggled at the boys finishing of eachother's sentences, causing the twins to smile.

"Matilda, dear," Angelica called out, "come here, please!" Matilda smiled politely at the two before turning to her parents. As she turned, she noticed Bill place a handon each of their shoulders and start talking to them with a half serious, half amused look on his face. She looked up at her mother and father, both of which had teary eyes. "I want you to be on your best behavior, darling. And stick with the twins. They may seem like jokesters, but they were raised right and will take good care of you. Try your best, and make sure you write us." Her mother said with a watery voice. "We love you very much, Tilly. Your trunk is already on the train. No go, and be a good girl." Her dad finished. Matilda gave them, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a hug before walking over to the twins. Bill pushed them slightly towards her, and she noticed a slight blush on each boy's cheeks whilst Bill was smirking. "You ready?" George asked. Matilda nodded, and the three of them walked towards ther Hogwarts Express. As they boarded the train, Matilda became nervous once more. Her wrung at her hands, which the twins noticed. They quickly led her to a compartment containing another young boy. He greeted the twins before looking expectantly at Matilda. "Matilda, this is Lee Jordan. He's in our year. Lee, this is Matilda Larken. She's just starting this year." Lee stuck his hand out as George finished the introduction. Matilda shook it politely, and was surprised when Lee brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. "You git!" Fred hit him on the back of the head, causing Matilda to laugh loudly and the boys to look at her in surprise. "What? My mother always told me to be a gentleman." Lee replyed back. He smiled at Matilda kindly, which she returned. She knew he meant no harm, he was just messing around.

Matilda sat on the seat next to Fred and across from George and Lee. As they started telling her all about Hogwarts, she smiled softly to herself. She knew this would be the start of something special.


End file.
